Keeping the Sabbath

As I wrote in my last post, these last few months I’ve been feeling weary and tired. The trip to see my dad was refreshing and I was thankful for being able to unwind and relax during our time there. I thought having that break would be enough to last me a while, but it wasn’t even a week until I was right back to feeling tired and overwhelmed at times.

Last week I was reading ‘Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World’ for my Tuesday morning women’s bible study, I was intrigued and convicted on the idea of keeping the Sabbath.  Here is the excerpt that spoke loudly to me:

Despite all the distractions, real and imagined, I really believe that if we want to balance our lives we must set our hearts towards obeying the fourth commandment (Exodus 20:8). The specifics of what that means for you and your family will be between you and God. But I believe that Sabbath-keeping as God ordained it must involve three things:

First, it must be different, set apart; it has to contrast noticeably with the six other days. It shouldn’t just be a day when we take care of errands we didn’t get to do on Saturday or finish paperwork we brought home on Friday.

Second, the Sabbath should be a day of devotion.  It’s meant to be spent in the Living Room, Kitchen duties can wait. This is a time to focus our hearts and minds on God alone.

Finally, the Sabbath should be at least partially a family day- a time not only spent with our biological families, but also with the family of faith gathered for worship and fellowship.

-          Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver, pg. 185

While I usually make a feeble attempt unwind and relax on Sundays, I have never made it a purposeful effort to do so. This is usually what ends up happening: I run errands during nap time, go grocery shopping and plan our meals for the week. I often try to clean around the house thinking it will get me ‘ahead’ on cleaning during the upcoming week. But somehow my kids end up making a mess again and I’m right back where I started. It feels just like every other day of the week. My mind still going a million miles an hour, trying to multitask as much as possible, and attempting to be as productive as I can.

After reading this chapter and talking to Steve about it, we are going to make an effort to keep the Sabbath on Sundays. We came up with some ideas that we’re hoping will help us find  rest from the week:

-         Not cleaning around the house or doing laundry on Sundays. Only do what is necessary for the day.

-         Only use paper plates

-         Not run errands that we didn’t get to do during the week

-         I plan on reading a magazine or book during nap time (something I LOVE to do, but never have time for!)

-         Not check fb or instagram. This will set apart this day from the rest of the week and allow me to focus on other things.

-         Not organizing newspapers/coupons


Will continue to add to the list...

Our goal is that we would look forward to Sundays  instead of viewing it as just another day like the others. I hope we’ll be able to make time for things we enjoy to do, have a mental break from the planning and work of the week, have good quality family time together, and ultimately focus on seeking the Lord that day. I’m excited to do this!! I can't wait to see how it turns out and how it will impact our family.  And I hope that if we stick with it, it will be something that Jack and Palmer will practice as adults as well.

I've closed this post for comments but feel free to email at Carolinabriggs@gmail.com if you'd like to share something. Good night!